VERMONT STATE POLICE - WEEKLY SUMMARY 12/26/2005

[Henry]

In an effort to keep the citizens of Franklin and Grand Isle Counties up to date of the activity of the Troopers assigned to the ST Albans barracks, we provide this summary for the week of 12-26-2005.  This list is made up of some of the highlights for the week and should not be considered an all inclusive list for the week.

 

Total cases investigated for Franklin and Grand Isle Counties – 108

DUI’s processed – 1

Traffic Accidents with damage resulting – 14

Traffic accidents with injuries resulting – 0

Burglaries – 2

Motor vehicle complaints investigated – 21

Suspicious persons investigated – 10

Alarm responses – 7

Citizen disputes investigated – 4

911 hang up calls investigated – 11

 

Throughout the week, the ST Albans barracks participated in 5 separate DUI checkpoints hosted by the Franklin and Grand Isle County Sheriff’s Departments.  

 

Trooper Bruzzi conducted a search warrant on a pick up truck that he approached on a motor vehicle stop where he smelled an odor of marijuana coming from inside the passenger compartment.  The warrant resulted in the seizure of a small amount of marijuana and the subject is being cited into court for PRD.  

 

On 1-1-06, Troopers from the barracks responded to a large under age drinking party in Sheldon.  They ended up calling the parents of the residence where the party was taking place after those inside refused to let them in.  Approximately 35 under age people were screened with some having previous convictions for consuming alcohol under age.  The owner of the property has been cited into court for Permitting Illegal Consumption of Alcohol and those that were screened and found to be under age are/will be receiving tickets or citations.  

 

On 12-30-2005, Trooper Marcellus responded to Berkshire for a family fight.  Upon his arrival, he found that the victims house had been broken into by her son who no longer lived at the residence.  While inside, the suspect smashed a window, smashed a computer, 2 ATV's and the phone.  He then stole his mother’s vehicle and began to travel towards ST Albans City.  A BOL was issued and the vehicle was spotted by SAPD.  A pursuit took place with the suspect’s vehicle and ended when the suspect drove the car through the front doors of the northwest counseling service in ST Albans City causing extensive damage to that portion of the building.  The suspect was charged with Felony Unlawful Mischief, Operating without the owner’s consent, domestic assault, attempting to elude, careless and negligent operation and excessive speed.  

 

A total of 5 arrests for the week – 1 DUI, 1 Fraud, 2 Assaults and 1 Possession of a Regulated Drug.

 

2005 Year in Review

 

Total cases investigated during 2005 – 7,268

Total Traffic Citations issued – 2,714

Total Traffic Warnings Issued – 1,109

Total DUI’s processed – 142

Total Accidents with Property Damage Investigated – 418

Total Accidents with Injury Resulting – 120

Total Fatal Accidents Investigated – 3

 

2005 has proven to be yet another busy year for the ST Albans Barracks as noted in a recent front page article in the Burlington Free Press.  However, I do not see this as a trend in criminal activity more than just some recent publicity over some unfortunate cases that have taken place in Franklin County.  Over the last year, the Franklin and Grand Isle County Community Advisory Boards have been established to assist the State Police in defining law enforcement initiatives and to assist in open ended communication with the jurisdictions that we serve.  These boards have proven to be very helpful and we look forward to developing them further in 2006.  

 

We have initiated an aggressive motor vehicle campaign utilizing the State Police Traffic Safety Team to deter motor vehicle violations on our highways.  DUI arrests are up from 2004 (a good and bad thing), traffic accidents with damage and injury resulting are down from 2004 (a good thing) and fatal accidents in our area are down from 2004 (from 6 to 3, another good thing).

 

We are enjoying a great working relationship with our county and local law enforcement partners.  We are working together to fight crime that crosses jurisdictional boundaries and are striving to pool our resources in all crime fighting and motor vehicle enforcement initiatives.  We have started a public awareness campaign that started out with an initiative organized by Chief Gary Taylor (ST Albans PD) and the Public Access channel and hope to continue with these efforts in the future.

 

Finally, I wanted to thank the citizens of Franklin and Grand Isle Counties for their continued support of the Vermont State Police.  Many of the crimes that we have investigated have been solved due to the information that we received from community members.  Working together, we can make a difference!

 

LT Robert L. Evans

Station Commander

ST Albans Barracks

Vermont State Police